The transition to parenthood is a sensitive phase of life for expectant parents. During this time, it can lead to subjective experiences of stress, which can be accompanied by the development of mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders. During this time, protective factors such as coping may therefore be an important source of support for couples. In particular, collaborative, or dyadic, coping (DC) can be an important resource for couples experiencing a shared stressor.

The DUET study aims to use a prospective, longitudinal questionnaire survey to investigate the relationship between DC in expectant parents and subjective stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and mental well-being between the third trimester of pregnancy and six months after birth. Validated questionnaires will be used at a total of four measurement points (T1: between the 28th and 37th week of pregnancy, T2: 8-48 hours after birth, T3: 6 weeks after birth, T4: 6 months after birth) will be used to record relevant areas of mental health in expectant parents (subjective stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, mental well-being) as well as potentially relevant areas that may be influenced by these (relationship satisfaction, attachment to the child) or that may additionally influence mental well-being (attachment styles, sleep).

For this purpose, we are looking for individuals who meet the following criteria:

Pregnant women in their first or second pregnancy who are in the last trimester and wish to give birth vaginally at the University Women's Hospital in Düsseldorf.
Pregnant women must be in a relationship.
Sufficient German language skills on the part of the pregnant woman and her partner to participate in the questionnaire survey.
Written consent to participate in the study
Age ≥ 18 years 

Target start date of the study: April 2026

If we have sparked your interest, please feel free to contact us by email (DUET(at)hhu.de) and we will send you further information about our study.